The EU agreed to a compromise on the backstop agreement to keep the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland last week, signalling they would accept keeping the whole of the United Kingdom in a customs union until both sides sign up to a deal that would prevent the need for a hard border.

"The prime minister raised the possibility of a review mechanism for the backstop", it said.

Theresa May called the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar this morning to discuss how the backstop solution to the Northern Ireland border would work.

Theresa May has apparently worked out a secret deal with Brussels which will keep the United Kingdom in a temporary customs union with the EU.

A spokesperson for Number 10 Downing Street described the reports as "speculation".

"The Democratic Unionist Party is rightly anxious about the future of the Union and many Conservatives are too".

In other developments on Brexit yesterday, the former Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said that negotiations were ongoing, amid reports that major concessions had been made by Brussels.

May is also understood to be close to a political deal on a future economic partnership (FEP) with Brussels that would give Britain the green light to pursue a free trade deal similar to Canada. Appears any old deal now better than no deal'.

A Downing Street spokeswoman added: "The prime minister is clear we are leaving the customs union".

In practice, the backstop will only take effect if trade talks between the United Kingdom and European Union fail to produce a deal deep and comprehensive enough to avoid any checks on the Irish border.

A spokesman for Ireland's Tanaiste Simon Coveney said: "The UK has given written commitments last December and March that the Withdrawal Agreement will include a legal guarantee of no return to a hard border in Ireland in any circumstance. I certainly hope we are".

May is under intense pressure from several members of her cabinet to secure a mechanism by which any backstop agreements can be time limited and able to be terminated by the UK.

Hopes that a deal could be struck as early as next week have faded because of the continuing clash between London and Brussels over the future status of the Irish border.

Chief Executives from Waterstones, Innocent Drinks and Lastminute.com stated that the United Kingdom faces either a "blindfold or a destructive hard Brexit" in the note.

Theresa May will be able to persuade her Cabinet to support her preferred Brexit deal - but only after more of her ministers resign, according to a government source.

Popular news

Man dies 8 years after being dared to eat slug
In 2016, Katie Ballard applied to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) when Sam became eligible for a £300,000 package. Sam Ballard was enjoying a few red wines with his friends when a garden slug crawled across the outdoor table in 2010.

Amazon Plans To Split HQ2 Between 2 Cities
Splitting the project in two could also ease concerns over housing and traffic in host cities, the Journal reported. However, the company is not exactly denying the report's accuracy.

Xi to trumpet China's 'open' markets at trade forum
Ma, who's planning on retiring next year, has also said the global business community is opposed to the trade war. As tensions have grown with the US, China has stressed its role as a major trade partner with other countries.

Apple's Tempest In A Teapot Earnings Report
Its revenue, however, rose 20 percent over the year-ago period to $62.9 billion, according to a company statement. The company briefly lost its $US1 trillion valuation last month as shares dipped to a low of $US206.09.